Rotary cane-cutter



' 4 dito W. SEARBY.

ROTARY CANE CUTTER.

APPLlCATlON FILED AUG. 15, 1917.

1,348,751. PatentedAug. 3,1920.

PATENT OFFICE;

WILLIAM sEARBY, or rUUNENE, TERRITORY or HAWAII;

ROTARYA CANE-CUTTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 3, 1920.

Appucationmea August 15, 1917. seriai No. 186,380.

To all whom tf/nay conce/m Be it known that I, WILLIAM citizen fof the UnitedY States of America, residing at- Puunene, Maui, rlerritory of Hawaii, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsv in Rotary Cane-Cutters, of which the following is a specification.

`This invention relates to'improvem'ents in rotary canecutters suchas are usedfor cut.-

ting-the cane during its transit to the crushing mill into small lengths for the purpose of reducing its bulkiness and thereby facilitating its-feed to the mill and the action of the mill. Y I

The invention may be regarded as an improvement on the construction shown in the U. S. patent to Ramsay, No. 1,209,618, of December 19, 1916, inthat its general objects are the `same as those ofthe v'Ramsay construction. However the invention has, in addition, a numberY of special objects which are to enable the cutter to be adapted to any number or arrangement of knives,

so long as the running balance is maintained,

to enable the useof lighterv knives with a substantial lessening of the damage in case any of the knives should break and pass through the mill,'to enable the cutter to withstand a muchy higher rotative speed whereby it may be directly drivenby a Standard speed motor, to facilitate repairs, and to reduce theexpense of manufacture.

With the aboveobj ects in view, the invention consists of certain features of structure, combination,y and relation which will be setforth in detail as the description pro` ceeds. j Y Y Y,

An embodiment of the: invention .is v illustrated4 in the accompanying drawing, wherein :-v-v y v l y Figure 1 is an end elevation, vpartly broken away and in section, ofa rotary cane cutter in which the features of the invention are incorporated. A

Fig. 2 is a view of the same, partly in side elevation 1 and partly in `longitudinal section.

Similar characters of reference designate corresponding partsin both of the views.

The cutter includes inits structure a cent'ral'shaft 1 which fis driven directly or by suitablel gearing from `the motor (not shown). The ends of the shaft 1 are mounted in bearings 'suitable for high rotative speed. It is preferred .to employ bearings SEARBY, al

of the structure well known in the mechanical arts under the trade designation S. KIF. and such a bearing, as 2, is shown in Fig. 2 at the left end of the shaft, it beingl understood that a similar bearing is provided at the right end of the shaft.

The cutter includes a plurality of knives 3 `which are arranged at suitable transverse intervals and are relatively light, being quite thin and of generally reduced dimensions. These knives are free to lswing in the direction of their planes, z'. e. in planes at right angles to the major axis of the shaft 1 and are, therefore, loosely pivoted on rods 4 by which they are supported, said rods being parallel to and radially equi-distant from the shaft 1.

The rotor structure of the cutter includes end plates 5 constituting heads in which the ends of the rods 4 are secured in any suitable manner for example, andV as shown and preferred` Vsaid heads are provided with openings through which the ends of the rods 4 project and said rods, adjacent the outer faces of said heads. are provided with cotter pins` 'The rods 4 are intermediately supported by a ynumber of plates 6 held in determinatelv and regularly spaced relation b v spacing blocks 7 fitted on the shaft 1. The heads 5. plates 6 and blocks 7 are keyed to the shaftl, as at 8. and are held in clamped relation by clamping pressure applied to said heads. For this purpose nuts 9. backed by lock nuts 10, are employed, the shaft 1 having threads 11 for said nuts.

The'position of the knives 3 on the rods 4 is determined by spacing washers or rings 12 which are fitted on said. rods in the spaces between the plates 6 and between the end plates 6 and the adjacent heads 5. Said rings are preferably of the same thickness as the adjacent heel portions of said knives ,and each knife may obviously be arranged in any desired plane in the space occupied by the companion series of rings byrsuitable arrangement of said rings atl both-sides of said knife. Y Y

The knives 3 are resilient. preferably bei Lwithout interruption.

i is to be noted that the `washers or. rings 12 are suiiiciently loose to provide a certain measure of lateral playof the .knives which Vwill be effective in preventing their crystallization in consequence Vof the laterally ldirected stresses or, as `it is termed collo'q'uially side swipe to which they are subjected.

In some cases, and as shown, it may be advisable to employ an added series of rods l() 13 which are similar both in form and arrangementto the rods 4, being passed. through openings in the plates 6 and'heads wherein centrifugal force is developed which,:notwithstanding the relative Ithin- Y ness and lightness yof the knives, causes them to strike the cane with' blows of lsufficient intensity to effectively cleave the hard rind.

' The pivotal mounting of the knives on the rods4 Vwhereby the knivesare free to swing' in the direction of their planes Y'provides for stacle is encountered. This is advantageous v-firstbecause theknives` when in contact with the cane assume an angle,'inopposition to centrifugal force, wherein they produce a drawcutythereby most effectively reducing the cane, Vand secondl because if an obstacle is encountered suchas would cause the breakage of a rigid knife,v the knives will yield pivotally as'jfarv as maybe necessary to pass by the obstacle and in this way their breakage,rin the large majority of instances, will be avoided.' However, should any one ofthe knives happen to break and to pass with 'the' cane to the mill, the destructive 3V eii'ects on the mill will be vvery, materially lessened'owingto the thinness and generally Y' `reduced dimensions of thefknives. l Y The capacity of the knive'sto swing freely in lthe direction of their planes provides a further advantage in"th at, incase ofY anV exceptionally "heavy feed of canet'. e. an

overload*,such `as would completelyarrest thefrotationofi'the "ordinary gangfojf rigidly Y I n' xed knives, theknivesf vwill simply be de- Hectech exercising a draw cut on the cane andV thecutter 'will continue `its 'operation' l utimately freeing itself of the'verloadf ',As fshown, theknives arey arranged fin four rows le'iitenc'ling transversely of theV cutter. 'The knives'of vkeach row vare equidistant from one anotherland occupy planes different. from the planes occupied bythe `knives ofany other row.l ,n -shown, and preferred, in each row vunoccupied spaces The rotor, constructed as above described, is specially adapted forhigh rotative speedV the deflection ofthe knives when an' ob between the plates 6 alternate with spaces which are occupied by the knives and their spacing rings 12; .but said spacing rings are arranged between each pair of plates 6, their arrangement in each space between adjacent plates being at diametrically opposite points. .The construction, however, admits of any desired arrangements of the knives, so long as the running. balance is maintained; and

Vdrill a suitably located hole in the heel ofl theknife, conforming in diameter to the diameter of the'rods 4: f

'It is also to be notedthat the number of the knives in any particular c'utterinay be varied from time to time in accordance with choicejo'r to meet variations inthe conditions of work; and-'that when such a variation is decided upon, ythe changes may be made with facility, it being-only necessary to remove the rods 4: and SuitabIy'vary the locations off the knivesv and their spacing rings 12. The substitution of new knives for broken or dull ones may be made with equal facility,' as in obvious.

I claim as my invention- 1.l In a rotary cane cutter,"the'combina tion with a rotor comprising a driven shaft, a pair of plates, constituting heads, mounted on the shaft, other plates Varranged between theheads andfdisposed at regular intervals, spacing blocks fitted on? theshaft 'between saidfp'lates 'and rods eXtending between the heads, the plates and heads having openings through which said rods lare passed,rela tively short and thin resilient knives singly arranged and loosely" pivoted on the rods for movements Vin the directionsof their planes, and a'series of spacing rings for each Yknife looselyfitted onthe respective rods on each side of; said knife and'between adjacent plates, said rings having sufhcient relative looseness to permitacertain measure oflateral playof thel knives. Y A

l2. ln a rotary canecutter, the combinationVA with a rotor comprising" a driven shaft, a pairof plates constituting heads mounted onthe shaft, other plates arranged between the heads and disposed atregular intervals, spacing blocks fitted jon. the' shaft between said plates androds'gextending between the heads, the plates andiheads having openings through which said rods ,arey passed, relatively short and thin 'resilient knives singly isb planes, and a series of spacing rings for my hand in presence of twoy subscribing witeaoh knife loosely fitted on the respective nesses. i rods and on each side of said knife and conined between adjacent plates, the knives 5 being staggered on adjacent rods and also Witnesses:

between adj aeentplates. RICHARD LILLIoo,

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set H. 1x. TING.

WILLIAM SEARBY. 

